The Wedding Ghost
by MoonStarDutchess
Summary: Rewritten 2011. It's Roy and Riza's wedding day and they get an unexpected visit from a long dead friend.


**The Wedding Ghost **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Oneshot **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction. **

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Riza Hawkeye studied her reflection in the full length mirror letting her gaze take in the white garment she was wearing. In the past she didn't think she'd ever have the opportunity to wear such an item of clothing; because she was so plain. Then, after meeting Roy she entertained the idea for this to happen later in her life. Then she joined the military became a murderer and murdered the possibility of every having a husband and family. But life had a funny way of fooling her and now she was standing there in a wedding dress waiting for someone from the wedding party to come and get her.

She trailed her gloved hand down her dress almost reverently to smooth the non-existent wrinkles from the lace and silk and rayed that she wouldn't get anything on it at the reception. It would be a horrible waste of funds and, though she didn't want to admit it, the dress was the symbol of a dream come true and she didn't want it ruined. She chuckled as she remembered what Roy said when she told him her dress was long and white. First he cracked about being disappointed it wasn't a mini dress and then he couldn't resist teasing her for wearing white.

Riza turned when there was a knock at the door and then Gracia Hughes entered. Her smile was so wide it was stretching her jaws and looked almost painful. Other than she and Roy, there would only be one other person happier than Gracia. But sadly, he couldn't be in attendance.

"You look beautiful Riza," she said.

Riza blushed and looked down. "Thank you Gracia. I hope the Gen— Roy thinks so." She would have to break the habit of calling him by his rank. What kind of wife called her husband General or Sir?

"Rebecca has gotten the rest of the wedding party into their proper places. All we need now is the bride and we can begin." She winked at Riza playfully. "Unless you want to run away."

Riza laughed and shook her head. "No, I don't want to do that but could you give me a few more minutes alone?"

"Of course," she said and left the room. Riza closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as she turned towards the mirror. When she opened her eyes she nearly leaped out of her skin when she saw Maes Hughes reflection in the mirror. She grabbed her bouquet and pulled out her pistol, pointing it at the man behind her.

He didn't show any signs of being afraid of her instead wearing an amused expression. "You have a gun in your bouquet?" He laughed. "That shouldn't surprise me I suppose. If I were marrying a playboy like Roy I would. . . " He wrinkled his nose. "Well I wouldn't be marrying a boy and—forget it. Even dead I tend to stick my big foot in my mouth."

Riza stared at him oddly and shook her head as if she had water in her ears.

"No, you aren't cracking up Lieutenant. It's really me," he said.

"Um…u…how…You're dead!"

"Come on, do you think a little thing like dying would keep me from seeing you and Roy tying the knot?"

"Little thing?"

"No matter. Didn't I tell you that it would happen someday?"

Riza slowly lowered her gun and hid it back into her bouquet. "Yes. You did tell me that."

He nodded. "Maes Hughes, right as always." He looked her over and his smile widened even more. "Roy is going to go crazy when he sees you. You look gorgeous."

"Have you talked to Roy yet? Are you going to?"

"Not yet but I will."

"I'm sorry."

He looked surprised. "What? What for?"

"That you died the way you did. That we couldn't help. Roy feels bad for it as well."

Maes shook his head. "None of that now. It was my time to leave the Earth and if it hadn't been that way it would have been another. You enjoy your wedding and no frowning allowed. Okay?"

Riza mustered a smile and gave a quick nod. "Right."

"Take care of him like you always and I'll see you two again someday." She watched as he faded away and leaned back against the mirror.

_ Did I just imagine that? _Riza laughed aloud in the empty room and smiled as she remembered how much Maes wanted this for Roy and her. _No, I don't think that was my imagination. _

**-/-/-/-/-**

Roy cursed as he tried for the seventh time to fix his tie properly. Normally he would have no trouble, having done it several hundred times in his life, but this was a different type of tie. Riza usually did this sort of thing for him anyway but Rebecca, Gracia, and Maria insisted he not see her before the wedding.

He didn't like that. He wasn't used to her not being around him. She'd been his shadow, his confidant, his right hand for as long as he could remember. Even when not in the military he was used to having her near his side. He didn't even get a good night sleep because she wasn't in his arms. How as a guy supposed to function at his own wedding with so little rest. It was only right that she would be there with him every second of the biggest day of their lives.

Someone else should have been there too, but couldn't because he was no longer of this world.

Roy cleared the negative thought from his mind.

"Maes wouldn't want me to be thinking about his death on my wedding day."

"Damn right I wouldn't," Maes said.

Roy twisted around and raised his fingers to snap only to have his hand start shaking and his eyes widen at who was sitting in the chair behind him.

"I knew I shouldn't have had that shot of whiskey," Roy said.

"No you aren't imagining me Roy and it was three shots, not one."

"You're dead!"

"Yes, the lieutenant has already pointed that out. Believe me, after several years a man knows these things." He said it all in good humor.

"You're a ghost?"

"Ye… well sort of. Spirit would be more accurate. The big man up there let me drop down here to watch your wedding."

"Big man?"

"God's very real Roy. You definitely shouldn't doubt that anymore."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Well that proves you are no hallucination."

"What makes you say that?"

"My hallucination would never try to convince me that there's a god."

"But you believe me?" Maes stood and eyed his friend's tie.

"Did you come here to congratulate me or convert me?"

Maes laughed and easily fixed Roy's tie. The darker haired man looked down at his perfect tie, huffed and looked back up at his best friend. "Thanks."

"Welcome."

Roy stared at him for a moment and started to speak but Maes held up his hand. "Don't even try to apologize for what happened to me."

"How did you know I was going to do that?"

"Your lovely future wife already did it."

Before Roy could respond someone knocked on the door and a voice followed. "General Mustang Sir, we're ready for you."

"All right. Be there in a moment." He looked back at Maes and smiled. "You're going to stay and watch."

"Yep. I'll be in the back."

Roy nodded. "Thank you. For everything you've done for me. I never got to tell you that and not many people get a second chance."

Maes smiled and then hugged his best friend. Roy was shocked to find that Maes was indeed solid in form. "I'm going to go find a good place to stand," he said when he pulled away.

"Okay."

"Oh, and I didn't get to tell Hawkeye this but you two be sure to have plenty of kids. Your family line certainly can't die off. It would be a shame for the world."

Roy opened his mouth to say something but Maes already walked through the wall. He smirked. "Unbelievable."

**-/-/-/-/-/-**

As Roy stood at the then of the aisle waiting for his bride, he could see Maes standing beside a large pot of flowers sitting upon a column. He was tempted to wave but thought better of it when he realized that no one could see him. Or could they? He turned to his groomsmen to see that the four men were acting completely normal. If they'd spotted Maes they would've already turned tail and ran.

He snapped from his thoughts and faced the front as the wedding party filed down the aisle one by one to a song he'd never heard. Then Pachelbel's Canon began drifting into the air, the musician perfectly expressing the beauty of the song.

But then that beauty was eclipsed by something far more exquisite. Riza walked toward him, holding tightly to her grandfather's arm and carrying a large bouquet of calla lilies with her other hand. Her dress was simple silk and lace with no shimmering studs, rhinestones, or gaudy ruffles. She wore gloves that reached her elbows and a white pearl tiara kept the veil secured.

She looked him straight in the eyes and the only woman he'd ever allow to do that. She could read and shared many of the emotions he often carried in his eyes. Right now, all he could think of to covey was how beautiful he thought she was and how much he loved her.

When her grandfather gave her to him at the altar it took every ounce of willpower he could muster not to kiss her right there. He shook Grumman's hand and then took Riza's before they approached the priest. Riza handed Rebecca her bouquet and joined hands with Roy.

"Friends, we have the incredible pleasure today to be here to share a very important moment in the lives of Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife." He began. Riza and Roy hadn't wanted a religious ceremony and got a friend of theirs from Ishbal to perform the ceremony. He nodded to Riza and smiled.

"Riza Hawkeye, will you have this man to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I will."

The officiant turned to Roy. "Roy Mustang, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I will. Beyond this life too."

Riza smiled and willed herself not to cry.

"Do you have the rings?" Roy took the ring from Havoc. "Repeat after me; with this ring, I thee wed."

Roy slid the ring upon her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Then Riza got the ring for Roy from Rebecca. She slipped it upon his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Then by the power invested in me by the country of Amestris, I now pronounce you man and wife."

He looked at Roy. "Now go on and kiss her man!"

Everyone laughed and Roy enveloped her lips with his. Her arms tangled around his neck and her posture relaxed as Roy deepened the kiss. She had to hold back a groan of frustration when he pulled away. He leaned moved his lips up and whispered in his ear, "think we can skip the reception?"

She hit him playfully and turned to take her flowers back from Rebecca.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Mustang."

Everyone stood and clapped as the couple walked down the aisle. When they got to the last pew, Roy looked at where Maes was standing only to find empty air. A frown crossed his face but as fast as a gust of wind, his smile replaced it.

**-/-/-/-/-/-/-**

Riza and Roy walked back to the dressing room to wait for the car to come and take them to the reception. Roy let go of her hand and locked the door as she sat her bouquet down on a table. He turned back toward.

"You saw him here too didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

Roy grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. "Do you believe that it was really him? I mean it could be stress from the wedding." Roy asked.

"But both of us wouldn't have seen him. He was really here Roy."

Roy kissed her forehead then the tip of her nose. "Amazing but I was a bit depressed that he wasn't there as we walked down the aisle together."

"Maybe he had to get back to wherever it is he was staying."

"Probably."

Riza kissed him and reached up to stroke his face. "Think he'll ever come back to visit?" she asked after a full minute of just staring into his eyes and remaining silent.

Roy smirked. "Well, there is something else he wanted to happen with us in addition to getting married. He mentioned it before he left my dressing room."

"What was it?"

Roy laughed. "Riza, I think we can expect his otherworldly presence if you ever give birth too."

Riza joined in his laughter. "Yes, I think you're probably right."


End file.
